


spike

by orphan_account



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, arya is assertive, gendry is jared 19 never fucking learned how to read women, k9 police officer gendry, veterinarian arya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: gendry has been taking his k9 partner to dr. seaworth’s office for over three years, but when he unexpectedly retires and turns the practice over to his daughter and her partner, gendry must familiarize himself with a new veterinarian
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 14
Kudos: 87





	spike

Gendry liked Dr. Seaworth. He was familiar with Dr. Seaworth. But Gendry did not know his daughter who had taken over the practice after Davos retired early very well, or her partner at all. But, Spike was familiar with the vet’s office, so Gendry didn’t want to completely uproot him. Gendry would have to take him to the office a few times a week to meet the new veterinarian so he could familiarize himself with the doctor before his regularly scheduled check up next month. 

He set up an appointment with Dr. Seaworth’s daughter--who was _also_ Dr. Seaworth--in the hopes that Spike would adjust easier, but she left due to a family emergency, so her partner, Dr. Stark said that she would still see them today and Spike would just become her patient. Gendry hopes that it won’t be inappropriate to ask Dr. Stark when he arrives at the office if the older Dr. Seaworth is alright. He had retired after a heart attack and Gendry would like to know if he was doing better. He had grown quite fond of the man during Spike’s appointments over the years.

Gendry leads Spike into the office and clicks his tongue to let him know that he doesn’t need to be so alert in the office. 

He approaches the receptionist and she smiles. “Hey, Sheriff.”

Gendry nods at her and she stands up to look at Spike. Spike can’t help but to wag his tail a little. “Can I give him a treat?” she asks. 

Gendry nods again and she grabs a dog biscuit from the tin and sets it down in front of Spike. She coos at him in a baby voice and Gendry almost rolls his eyes. 

“Sheriff,” A woman says from behind the counter. “I’m Dr. Stark.”

He isn’t sure why he expected someone very different from the woman in front of him. While the older Dr. Seaworth had been on his way to becoming frail sooner rather than later, he was still quite large and the thought of him alone with Spike didn’t make Gendry nervous. But Dr. Stark is the epitome of petite and Gendry idly wonders how on Earth she was meant to ever examine Spike, who probably weighed as much her. And she had green hair chopped just below her jaw. He had never met a veterinarian with green hair before. 

“Good to meet you. This is Spike.”

“Hi, Spike,” she says, without the childlike pitch people seemed to always use with Spike. “Does he speak English?” Dr. Stark asks. 

“Does he speak it, no.” Gendry answers with an almost smile. 

Dr. Stark laughs. “I mean does he understand English?” 

“He understands some, but I use German commands.”

She nods. “Alright, good to know. Is it safe for me to approach?” Gendry nods and extends a hand to her. Her hands were small, but they seemed ridiculously tiny in his. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt under her scrubs, but he could see part of a tattoo peeking out from her wrist. 

He had never met a veterinarian with tattoos (at least visible ones) either. He wasn’t judging her, though, he had a full sleeve down his left arm, and his were mostly hidden under the sleeves of his uniform, too. 

She shakes his hand before she squats down to Spike’s level. Spike sniffs her hand and allows her to scratch his head. Spike’s tail wags, deciding that he likes her so far. and then Gendry realizes that she has a nose ring, and Gendry nearly shuts down.

“We should probably take him into an exam room so that he’s used to being in one with me,” Gendry nods and he follows Dr. Stark with Spike into the small room. There’s an exam table to the left of him, but without Dr. Seaworth’s presence, Gendry figures they can work up to that at a later time.

Gendry leans against the door and Spike sits down in front of him. Arya kneels down and holds out her hand for Spike again to sniff before she tries touching him. 

“Dr. Seaworth-Mormont said that she was sorry that she missed you, but since she’ll be out for a while we figured it was best if I just took you and Spike over. Dr. Seaworth told us that you were a very good handler and that we shouldn’t be too worried.”

“I like to think that I’m good at my job.” She scratches Spike’s ear.

“Dr. Seaworth also warned me that you were abrasive,” she comments and looks up at him. Abrasive? 

That was one way to describe him. But some weird feeling in the back of his mind was telling him that he didn’t want to be abrasive to _her_. He uncrosses his arms. 

“Dr. Seaworth-Mormont isn’t out because something happened to her father, right? I know he retired after having a heart attack, and I just wanted to…” Gendry feels kinda stupid after asking. He would probably never see the older Dr. Seaworth again, nor were they close enough for Gendry to pay him a visit or send a card or anything. But he still wanted to know.

Dr. Stark smiles. “Her father is fine! He’s actually about to become a grandfather. Dr. Seaworth-Mormont had to leave because her wife is in labor.”

“Oh, um,” Gendry clears his throat. “Congrats.” Dr. Stark raises her eyebrow and tilts her head a little. “Not to you, to Dr. Seaworth. Both of them,” he clarifies. _Why is this so hard?_

He should’ve just stuck with bringing Spike in and communicating as little as possible. His nervousness was probably sending mixed signals to the dog sitting at his feet now. 

“I’ll be sure to let her know when she returns,” Dr. Stark smiles. 

“Thanks.”

“Course.” She washes her hands and reaches for a clipboard. “Any other pets at home?”

Gendry shakes his head. “Just him. You?”

“I’m asking because I need to know for Spike,” she says and checks a box on the clipboard. And Gendry knew this, but he liked the sound of her voice enough that he thinks he would do anything to keep her talking. “But I have a husky, Nymeria, and every once in a while a stray cat will come home with me.” 

“That’s an interesting name.”

Dr. Stark looks at Spike and back to him. “It’s more creative than Spike.”

Gendry shrugs. “I didn’t name him.”

* * *

“Hi, Spike,” Dr. Stark and kneels down for him to approach her at their next appointment. She looks up at Gendry. “Hi, Sheriff.”

“Good morning,” he responds. The green in her hair was starting to fade a little since their last visit and her sleeves only went down to her forearm, showing off the thin design on her wrist. He doesn’t want to look at it long enough to be weird, so he gives her a small smile before he finds out what it is.

* * *

“Is that a wolf on your arm?” she asks while Spike tentatively lets her touch his paws. 

“Yes.”

“Cool.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

The tattoo on her wrist is a wolf. It’s not quite as detailed as Gendry’s, though.

* * *

“Well, it looks like this is going to be our last visit for a few months, hopefully,” she adds softly at the end of her sentence. 

Gendry nods. “I hope so, too,” he says with a curt nod, even though he must admit that he enjoyed seeing her every few mornings.

“Right, so I was just wondering if maybe you’d like to go for a drink or something, some time?”

Gendry freezes. “Doesn’t that violate some patient-doctor code or something?” Gendry splutters. He wants to say “to hell with that code,” but he also enjoys having a house and a job and Spike. 

“Well, since my patient is Spike, if we had a relationship that would definitely violate my ethics code and probably all of the standard veterinarian rules, but since I’m asking _you_ out for a drink it should be okay.” 

Gendry opens his mouth to respond. He wants to say yes so badly. But does that violate one of his codes? He would’ve skimmed over the “Romance-With-Your-K9’s-Veterinarian” section pretty quickly had he seen it considering Spike’s last vet was over sixty years old and not really Gendry’s type.

“But I can also ask Dr. Seaworth-Mormont to take you on instead if that makes a difference.”

Gendry scratches the back of his neck. He didn’t have issues declining women that he wasn’t interested in when they asked him on dates, but he is very much interested in Dr. Stark. “What if I brought you a coffee early tomorrow?” he settles on asking. “Before you’re open.”

He wouldn’t technically break any rules in doing that. And if any suspicions were raised, it was just another pre-examination visit that he was required to complete anyway. Maybe Spike just needed an extra visit, just in case. 

“I think that would be wonderful. I’m partial to Hazelnut cappuccinos.” 

“Good to know. And your regular office hours are...”

“We’re open all the time for emergencies, technically, but my first appointment tomorrow isn’t until eight. Come anytime before then.”

“Good to know.”

* * *

Gendry stacks the two coffees in one hand and knocks on the door. He waits for a moment, but nobody answers. The door isn’t locked, though, so he walks inside. Dr. Stark told him he could come in anytime before eight. It was only 7:00 and some of the lights were on. He doesn’t really like the eerie feeling of the empty building, but he walks forward and looks for Dr. Stark. He hears music coming from a room and walks towards it. Dr. Stark’s office door is open and he finds her slowly dancing through the office while she reads through a packet. She wears reading glasses. 

Gendry knocks on the open door, and Dr. Stark nearly jumps.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I--uh--the door was open. I brought you coffee.” She smiles and sets her glasses and packet down on her desk. 

“You’re fine. I didn’t think you’d be here this early.” She takes a step towards him and accepts the cup. 

“Quietest part of my day. Figured I should stop by while I have the chance,” he says. “That’s okay?”

Dr. Stark nods. “No, that’s great. Good.” She sets her coffee on the edge of her desk and starts gathering up her stacks of papers. “You can sit down,” she says and nods towards one of the chairs at her desk. “It’s weird seeing you without Spike,” she admits.

“You, too,” he says. “So I looked through some of my stuff last night, and it’s not really against any rules,” he starts. “If you still wanted to try dinner?”

“I remember asking you for a drink,” she says and sits down across from him. 

“I don’t think I should really accept your invitation for just a drink while still calling you Dr. Stark.”

”Arya,” she says.

“Arya.” He says it slowly. “I don’t drink. But I do eat.”

She gives a smile. “Alright, then. You free on Friday?”

**Author's Note:**

> lol acab


End file.
